As is widely accepted, toe movement is essential to the efficient overall movement of the body. See, e.g.: www.posetech.com; “Kick Off Your Shoes and Run Awhile”, Christopher McDougall, NY Times, 23 Jun. 2005; etc. Toe action and the overall haptic response of the foot upon the ground play an important role in walking, jogging, running, etc., and in providing and maintaining a person's bodily balance. Herein, “haptic response” is used to mean a tactile sense of response relating particularly to the sense of touch associated with the feet and lower legs with respect to the ground/surface.
Conventional shoes generally include a sole portion and an upper formed above the sole and attached to a periphery thereof. The sole is shaped to underlie the bottom of a wearer's foot from the heel area through the arch, ball of the foot, up to and even beyond the tips of the toes. The upper extends over the sole to delimit a cavity which receives the foot. A portion of the upper extends over the toe area of the sole to form a toe cap at the front portion of the shoe. When the shoe is worn, the toes extend into the toe cap and lie therein adjacent one another. In this way, the foot rests upon a thick sole the bottom of which is generally flat for providing even contact with the ground. That is, when the shoe is at rest, the sole is disposed flush against the ground.
When the conventional shoe is worn, the entire front toe cap portion acts as a single unit. The movement of the toe cap portion is generally limited to a pivoting action about the ball of the foot. That is, despite the various movements of the five toes disposed therein, the toe cap portion moves as a single unit in only one direction at a time.
In this way, the conventional shoe can limit the natural movements of the toes and thus effect the overall operation and performance of the foot. Additionally, the toe cap portion limits, if not restricts, the wearer's ability to spread his/her toes within the toe cap portion. This can lead to significant discomfort of the wearer. This discomfort is compounded when the toes are crowded into the toe cap portion.
Moreover, the thick sole of a conventional shoe isolates the natural contouring and curvature of the foot from the ground, thus minimizing the foot's haptic sensations with respect to the ground. This can cause a general disassociation between a person and the ground resulting the development of improper foot and/or toe action while walking, running, etc. and can be generally disadvantageous with respect to the person's balance, agility, and overall foot health.
Attempts have been made to provide footwear having individual portions which encapsulate each toe separately. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,967,390, 4,651,354, and 5,774,898. However, none of these have been successful in enabling free and independent toe articulation while at the same time providing enhanced comfort and increased haptic response along with a significant degree of foot and toe protection.
Further attempts have been made to contour the sole of a shoe to correspond to curvatures of the foot. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,989,349, 5,317,819, 5,544,429, 6,115,941, and 6,708,424. However, all of these teachings require an outsole and a mid-sole, the combined thickness of which separates the foot of the wearer from the ground, thus reducing haptic response. Additionally, these attempts are generally directed toward a shoe sole which has a generally planar bottom surface for flushly engaging the ground. As mentioned above, this configuration further degrades the haptic response provided by the shoe. Moreover, these references disclose a shoe having a conventional toe cap portion for containing all five toes in a restrictive single compartment. Therefore, independent articulation of toes is not permitted, therefore further degrading the wearer's haptic response and resulting in increased foot discomfort.
Thus, there is a need for footwear which is shaped to the natural contour of the feet and which allows independent intrinsic movement of the feet, and particularly the toes, in order to enhance performance of the foot, increase haptic response, and to bring increased comfort to the wearer and yet which still provides coverage and protection to the toes and to the remainder of the foot.